Bucksport businesses host ‘shop hop’ ahead of town’s Parade of Lights
“We’re all very supportive of each other and help promote and share as much as we can,” says one Bucksport business. Photo by Emily Baer.
By Emily Baer
BUCKSPORT—It’s not unusual that the comfy green couch at Bucksport’s beloved Bookstacks be filled with a quiet reader or two on weekend mornings. But for the group of youngsters who were there this past Saturday, it was an unusual–even magical–morning, indeed.
Sitting in a rocking chair next to a small pile of seasonal books was Mrs. Claus, cheerfully making her way through old favorites and Maine Christmas classics.
The chance to meet Mrs. Claus was just one of the many seasonal pop-ups and events that are taking place around Bucksport in celebration of the holiday season. There are concerts, craft fairs, pop-ups, festivals, farmers markets, a tree lighting, and more. Most are in the weeks leading up to the holiday, and many are offshoots of the annual Parade of Lights on December 13.
The town sponsors the parade, but beyond that there is no formal organizing body for initiating and promoting area events. Still, there is plenty of coordination and collaboration happening on a grassroots level.
"A lot of these come about in a very informal way. Someone has an idea and others hop on board,” says Bookstacks’ Kate Corwin of efforts to host events and draw people to the downtown. “We’re all very supportive of each other and help promote and share as much as we can.”
One such effort is the “shop-hop” Holiday Raffle, the brainchild of Brandie Cardenas, owner of Sapling Toy & Gift. As one of several new businesses on Bucksport’s main drag, Cardenas is eager to welcome new customers into her store as well as others. Six local businesses–Bolt Fabrics, Bookstacks, Bucksport Trading Post, Kathryn’s Antiques, K Designs, and the toy store itself–are participating in the raffle to encourage shoppers to visit multiple retailers and highlight how much is available to them without leaving town.
To win, shoppers must visit five of the six participating stores and have their tickets stamped after making a purchase. The raffle ends on December 20 and a winner will be drawn on December 21. The winner will receive a $150 gift certificate to the participating shop of their choice.
“So far it’s been a big success,” Corwin says. “We’ve had a lot of people come in with their raffle tickets wanting a stamp so they can go on to the next shop.”
As for the kids and Mrs. Claus? They didn’t seem to take much notice of the customers coming in and out of the shop that afternoon, much less the raffle tickets in their hands. As they trickled out of the store they looked like they’d already won a prize: something very merry–and a little magic–in their own downtown.
